Broad access to the fruits of NIH’s investments—whether in the form of data, results, or products—drives innovation. To advance this aim, NIH is launching a new policy to improve access to medical products developed from NIH-owned inventions.

This policy emphasizes the importance of proactive planning for patient access in the commercialization process for NIH-owned inventions. It applies to inventions that result from research conducted by NIH’s own scientists within its Intramural Research Program. Organizations partnering with NIH through patent license agreements will provide the agency with plans describing the steps they will take to promote patient access to any new drug or medical device that results from the invention. These “access plans” will be submitted to NIH when an organization applies for a license, and the plans will be incorporated into the licenses granted by NIH.

NIH looks forward to working in collaboration with its licensing partners to promote the best public health outcomes for the American public. And the agency will continue to work with stakeholders and communities to promote effective implementation of this policy, building on the public input that informed its development.

NIH is committed to efforts that can improve the health of all Americans. This policy is one example of how NIH is working across the biomedical research enterprise to deliver on the Nation’s investment in biomedical research.

Further information about the new policy, guidance, and other HHS Technology Transfer Policies and resources can be found on the NIH IRP Access Planning Policy webpage on the NIH Technology Transfer website.